The first phase of the government action plan on fire prevention will be ready by May 1, in time for this year’s fire season, Justice Minister Anna Koukkides-Procopiou said on Thursday.

She was speaking at an event in Nicosia on the latest developments in search and rescue operations, organised by Crisis Management Center Ltd.

Regarding fires in particular, the minister said the first phase of the government’s action plan relates mainly to forests in agricultural areas. The plan is expected to go fully operational as of May 1.

The second phase – involving the installation of sensors and cameras covering residential and industrial areas – would commence in 2024.

In her speech, the minister said that experience from around the world shows that the ability of search and rescue teams to operate is often hampered by inaccessible or difficult terrain. Therefore the use of high tech was extremely important in helping professionals save lives.

“We recognised this fact after the catastrophic fires in Arakapas in 2021, which resulted in the destruction of 55 square kilometres of forest, cultivated land and residences, as well as the unfortunate loss of human life,” the minister noted.

The lessons learned led to a rethinking of how to deal with disasters and emergencies.

“The [new[] approach is a holistic one, and includes a state-of-the-art network of communications at the search and rescue centre, cameras placed at strategic sites, command and control vehicles, drones, and the deployment of safe infrastructures capable of supporting the traffic of data during a crisis.”

The minister stressed that the public sector cannot do it alone, and will need assistance from the private sector.

The private sector can play a part not only in search and rescue missions, or distributing aid, but also in risk reduction through the use of innovative technologies.